Betray;
To hurt (someone who trusts you, such as a friend or relative) by not giving help or by doing something morally wrong.
This pregnancy was different.
Just a few weeks in and Karura could already tell that something—something very important was wrong. Was the child sick? She'd only just found out that the treatment Lady Chiyo had given her to keep her healthy was actually Shukaku being put inside of the child within her womb.
She had not spoken to Kogane since she found out—woman horrified that he would do such a thing without telling her, would do such a thing to his child—that he had been wanting and planning to do something to each of their children so far.
Karura was not sure how she had not realized this was coming, after so long.
Still—that was not what seemed so different.
Whether it was her getting older—though, at thirty she was still young enough to have children, perhaps it was simply the fact there was a literal demon alongside the child within her womb, but the woman found herself feeling more and more sickly as time went on.
Ordinary tasks took longer, playing with Kankuro and Temari took tremendous amounts of energy, and as her pregnancy wore on she found herself going to bed earlier and earlier in the evening.
It was a bit concerning really, she was only four months along, barely showing—the prospect of this going on for five more months seemed near impossible.
Sitting on the edge of her bed—Kogane had been wise enough to sleep on the couch since she had found out—teal eyes stared into the mirror opposite, taking in the pale skin, taking in the dark circles, taking in how sickly she seemed despite the intense medical care she had been receiving.
Was she going to die?
It seemed strange to think, it really did—especially at her age, but with the way her health seemed to be inclining, along with the gut feeling in her stomach she found it hard to get the thought out of her head.
Biting down on her lower lip, finding herself afraid for the child within her—surely it would be strong, but she knew very well how jinchuuriki were treated in this world, and even the strongest child was still a child, and to face that alone would be a very daunting task for anyone, even an adult.
Lip bitten until she could taste the metallic tang of blood, Karura let out the lightest of sighs—remembering back to several years before. A conversation overheard and only remembered from how incredibly odd it had seemed.
One of the small villages in a little country on the border was home to a clan that specialized in demons, apparently. Something about heritage and bloodlines, she was not sure—but what she had heard that seemed the most interesting was that they not only captured and collected demons, they took care of those who housed them.
From what it had sounded like, the clan tended to just care for the smaller demons, but perhaps if she contacted them they would make an exception for the child on the way?
It seemed strange, that she was more intent on relying on a stranger than her husband to take care of their child—but when it all came down it, Karura could not bring herself to trust the man anymore with their children's care. Perhaps he did truly think this course of actions had been for the best, but when it came down to it those actions had put their children in danger.
Perhaps—with whoever the clan would send, along with her brother and her two older children, the child within her would be safe.
Really, as Karura thought about it—continuing to look into the mirror, that was all she wanted from all of this. Whether it took her dying, whether she lived through this pregnancy, no matter what happened.
She just wanted her youngest child to be safe in the face of what was going to face them.
Karura could not help but stare, jaw dropped, as her youngest son's wife finished telling her story, not entirely sure how to react. The mother was not sure how she had expected her son's life to go— but to have Gaara turn into what sounded like a near psychopathic killer after her brother died, go through some sort of spiritual transformation after meeting the jinchuuriki from Konoha, become Kazekage only to have his demon extracted and then lead thousands to war—was not anything near what she could have thought.
A glance at her brother— wondering how to handle this information, and judging by the shocked look on his face he was not sure how to handle this information either.
Hand running through his amber hair, Yashamaru kept his indigo eyes trained on the younger woman in front of him—not understanding why she hadn't told Karura the fact that he had tried to kill Gaara. There was no way Ami did not know already—she would have been told, she would have heard somehow—was she keeping it a secret?
It was hard to tell.
Gut instinct was to be grateful but the distrust that was in Ami's eyes made him think that this was not exactly a favor he wanted or particularly deserved.
Indigo eyes darting to his sister, taking in the shocked, almost nauseated look on her face he placed his hand gently on her shoulder and gave her the slightest of smiles in hopes of comforting her, even if it was just a little bit.
His efforts, seemed a bit in vain though—as his sister shrugged off his hand and walked out of the room, muttering a soft 'I need to be alone.' before leaving her brother and daughter-in-law by themselves, the woman needing some space to think, some time to figure out how to deal with all of this information.
A pause, as Ami watched the woman walk out of the room—listening to her go down the stairs and making sure she was out of earshot before looking at the man in front of her, lips set in a grim line—eyes narrowed ever so slightly as she took in his posture, his expression, the way he was looking at her right now in what seemed like both slight confusion and annoyance.
Yashamaru taking a step forward towards the other, indigo eyes narrowing as he spoke, "Why didn't you tell her what I did?" he could not figure out how he felt about the other before him—it seemed obvious enough that she cared for Gaara a great deal, but as for motives for her behavior, as for understanding her and trusting her the man could not bring himself to do so quite yet. Perhaps it would change, he'd only known her for about an hour so far—but if he were to be honest his first impression of this woman was not a good one.
"I'm not sure the best way to tell someone that their brother tried to kill their son, but I am fairly sure hearing it from a stranger is not the best way." A pause, realizing just how harsh those words made her seem judging by the shocked look on the man's face , Ami let out a deep breath—relaxing a bit before speaking once more, "I know that sounds rude, but she shouldn't hear that from me. And to be honest, no one really talks about what happened when he was a kid, so if you don't tell her she probably won't find out—but she shouldn't have to hear it from a stranger. She really shouldn't."
Teeth gritted, jaw clenched, body tense, Yashamaru was not certain how to react at the woman's frankness and candor—while the fact that she had not sugar-coated things was appreciated, she was still a stranger, and the fact that she knew so much about what he had done, and the effects he had on his nephew was unsettling.
Still, looking at the other he was almost certain she meant well enough, even if she was acting in such a way. A nod, from the blond man, swallowing thickly. "I'll tell her later." Not sure when later was—but after all the news they'd received today he was fairly sure that his sister needed a rest and time to process things. A glance back at the other, Yashamaru's lips pursed into a thin line for a few moments as he took in her sickly appearance, "You should rest. You've got the flu."
Indigo eyes watching the woman nod, Yashamaru walked out of the bedroom and closed the door behind him—stopping in the hallway and leaning against the wall, finding the prospect of telling his sister what he had done not nearly as daunting as seeing his youngest nephew again.
He really hadn't wanted to hurt Gaara.
He wasn't sure how much the other would understand, though.
Hello everyone! It's come to my attention that some of you haven't realized that this story is a sequel! The story before this is called The Kazekage's Keeper, and if you just click on my profile you can find it! It explains a lot of things that will be referenced in this, and I assure you that reading it will make this much easier to understand!